Of Misconceptions and Misunderstandings
by tris-everdeen99
Summary: All he wanted was to ask her out on a date. Apparently, she seriously misunderstood. ""I've seen the way you look at me when you're working. I know that you want help and I'm here to give it to you." Trust Granger not to realise that if a man couldn't stop staring at her, it meant that he was attracted to her – not that he needed a bloody psychiatrist." Dramione oneshot.


**Well hello everyone! It's been a long time...I've missed posting here :) Hope you enjoy this oneshot I wrote in a fit of madness.**

Draco wasn't entirely sure when he'd decided to actually go through with his plan, but the feelings he'd hoped would go away had been taunting him for too long now. He swallowed, ignoring the churning in his stomach – because Malfoys didn't get butterflies – and gripped the flowers in his hand a little tighter. Plastering on his trademark smirk, he winked at his reflection in the window for luck, and sauntered into the building.

"Malfoy!" he heard the second he entered.

She was perched on the receptionist's desk, clearly having been in conversation with her employee, with the top buttons of her blouse undone and her hair pinned up loosely. It was obvious that she hadn't been expecting visitors, yet she somehow looked entirely put together despite being so relaxed. She was quite fantastic, really.

"I've been expecting you." She cocked her head at him and beckoned him forward.

Okay. So perhaps she had been expecting visitors.

He swallowed the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. "Granger," he managed to choke out, smoothly continuing by acknowledging his colleague, "Charlotte." He nodded at them both.

"Hey Draco." Charlotte smiled at him from behind her desk. "Y'know, I will never understand how you can still call each other by your last names."

"It just works, sweetie." Hermione feigned a condescending tone.

"Yeah, yeah." Charlotte rolled her eyes. She turned back to Draco. "Your shift ended earlier today, didn't it?" Her eyebrows knitted together.

"It's okay," Hermione immediately interjected, "I know why he's here."

His heart rate seemed to triple.

"You – you do?" he croaked.

"Of course." She hopped off the desk, approaching him. "I'll take these," she whisked the flowers out of his hands. "Entirely unnecessary of course, but thank you all the same." She gave a little curtsy. "It's always appreciated."

"But of course." He tried to play along. What in Salazar's name was happening? Why was she acting so breezy? Did she think he was here for some other reason?

She leaned forward conspiratorially. "I say we go somewhere a little more private." Her hair brushed against his shoulder and he was thoroughly distracted in all of two seconds. His breath hitched in his throat.

"That would be splendid." He found himself whispering.

"You're lucky I kept a slot free for you this afternoon!" she suddenly leaned away again, laughing. "Come on!" she motioned for him to follow her. "We'll go to my office. I'll talk to you later, Charlotte!" she called over her shoulder.

"Sure, Dr Granger!"

She stopped in her tracks but didn't turn around, sighing. "As I've said countless times, "Hermione" is just fine."

"Okay. Sorry." Charlotte hid a smile, waiting until Draco had traipsed after Hermione and they were both out of earshot before adding: "And the romance begins."

**ooooo**

"So Malfoy," Hermione leaned across the desk, motioning for him to sit at the seat opposite her in her office. "I guess it took a lot of courage for you to come here today."

"Bringing out the psychiatrist already?" he avoided the question with a little jibe. Hermione had built up a reputation for using a mixture of muggle techniques and magic to help people overcome their emotional and psychological issues following the war. She was wildly popular, and although her career choice came as a shock to many, her wicked sense of humour paired with the astounding empathy she could offer when necessary had made her even more respected both as a person and in her profession – if that was even possible.

"Of course!" she smiled. "But in all seriousness – I can tell that you're apprehensive. Just relax, okay? It's only me."

"Malfoys don't feel apprehension." He retorted haughtily, despite the fact that the churning in his stomach was steadily increasing.

"I want you to know that I won't charge you any fees for this. After your work for me, it's the least I can do."

Okay…he wasn't entirely sure why she would charge him for a date, but maybe that's just how Hermione Granger worked.

"I'll start with the first question to make this easier for you." Hermione smiled gently and his heart definitely stopped a little. He took a sip from his glass water to hide the emotions on his face. Hermione continued. "Do you feel like your emotional stability has been negatively impacted following the inevitable abandonment from your father after you converted to the Light side during the war?"

He gracefully choked on the gulp of water making its way down his throat, spraying liquid everywhere.

Hermione didn't even looked bothered, quickly muttering "Scourgify," and flicking her wand at the mess. She looked at him intently again. "I was too forward. I'm sorry. I should have realised that it would be difficult for you to have an emotional healing session with me. I want you to know how impressed I am that you even managed to come here to let me help you today… it must feel strange to be the one in the patient's chair instead of helping with the session!" she gave a little tinkle of a laugh. "I want to assist you in overcoming the boundaries holding you back so you can freely live your life without being held back by the past." She finished.

"What?" he spluttered. "Granger, you're seriously mistaken."

"Please, Malfoy. I've seen the way you look at me when you're working. I know that you want help and I'm here to give it to you." She nodded in what was supposed to be an encouraging manner.

Well. He thought that he was being discreet when he allowed himself to sneak a glance at her, but apparently not. Trust Granger not to realise that if a man couldn't stop staring at her, it meant that he was attracted to her – not that he needed a bloody psychiatrist.

"Granger - "

"Put your pride to one side just for a minute, Malfoy. At least hear me out."

"No - "

"Could your inability to share your feelings be something to do with the fact that - "

"Please just - "

"You've lacked a father figure - "

"Listen to me - "

"For most of your life - "

"GRANGER!"

"WHAT?" she shouted, thoroughly annoyed that she'd been interrupted.

"I don't want to talk to you about my supposed "issues"!"

"Fine." She took a deep breath. "Let's talk about something else instead. I - " she stopped talking when Draco leaned forward to tuck a stray curl that had escaped from her clip behind her ear.

"Sorry." He leaned back again, swallowing. "I couldn't help it – it was bugging me." The truth was that he couldn't resist an excuse to touch her.

"Oh, so now we're making fun of my hair?" she raised an eyebrow.

"No! I just meant - "

"Oh save it." She snapped. "You should know that not everyone has perfect hair like you."

"You think I have perfect hair?"

She glared at him.

"I just wanted to - "

"I've had enough of this conversation!"

"But - "

"Let's get back to talking about your instability."

"I DON'T SUFFER FROM ANY INSTABILITY!"

"Well excuse me for trying to help you – you obviously came here for a reason and - "

"For the love of Merlin's scraggly chest hair, Granger, I came here to ask you out!"

Her eyes widened comically and she froze, mid-sentence. "Hang on, so you didn't want a healing session with me?"

"NO!" he bellowed.

She gaped at him.

"Fabulous." He muttered. "Now's the one bloody time that you're speechless."

Still silence from her part.

"Granger." He snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Will you go on a date with me tonight?" He peered at her, flicking her forehead when she still didn't respond.

She blinked. "That was unnecessary."

"WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME OR NOT?" he yelled, frustrated.

Hermione paused for an appropriate amount of time. "No, Malfoy." She responded smoothly, straightening her robes. "I will not, because as your employer, it would be highly inappropriate. You should know that." She paused. "And," she added as an afterthought, "you didn't ask very nicely."

He noted with irritation – and some admiration – that a smile was playing at the corners of her lips. She was purposely winding him up.

"So I'll quit my job." He threw his hands up in the air. "You pay me next to nothing anyway, and I hate working with lunatics in the making."

"Don't be so disrespectful!" she reprimanded him. "And why are you so desperate to go out with me anyway, Malfoy? I've had nothing but sass and back talk from you since I employed you and that was almost a year ago."

"Same reason you were so snappy with Weasley in Hogwarts." He shuddered a little.

"I was not snappy."

"You so were."

"You're infuriating." She pursed her lips. "And the reason you're referring to is…?"

"You really liked him."

She blushed almost immediately, a rosy flush that suited her quite nicely, he thought.

"So?" he tried again, feigning nonchalance. It felt strange to admit how he felt out loud.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy." She tried to act indifferent, not quite meeting his eye. "I just don't feel that way about you."

Well. If that was how it was going to be…

"Oh yeah?" he raised an eyebrow, making it clear that he wasn't convinced. "What about the time we kissed last month?"

"It was midnight on New Year's Eve. I had to kiss someone, and you just so happened to be the person nearest to me. It meant nothing, okay?" she almost appeared to be attempting to persuade herself, looking at him pleadingly.

He smirked, not put off. "And what about the time you took a nap at work and kept saying "I love you too, Draco," in your sleep?" he grinned. "And then you hugged the cactus on your desk." He paused. "I'll admit that amusing as it was, I was quite flattered."

"YOU'VE BEEN SPYING ON ME?" she yelled.

"Possibly…" he had the decency to look a little sheepish. "But only because I…" he trailed off. "I can't think of a reason that won't make me sound mentally unhinged or simply creepy at the moment, so bear with me."

Her nostrils flared, and she stood up. "You come in here, confess your undying love from me – "

"I didn't - "

"Insult me, embarrass me, and then have the audacity to claim that I actually have feelings for you?"

"Well only because I know you really love me." He smirked conceitedly.

What he didn't expect was for her to slap him across the face. Hard.

"Get. Out." She hissed.

He rubbed his cheek. "Look, I'm sorry Granger, I was just teasing you. I really like you – will you please just give me a chance?"

"No." she snapped. "I wouldn't go on a date with you if you were the last - "

She couldn't finish her sentence because she suddenly found herself pressed against the wall as he kissed her, twining an arm around her waist, locking her in an embrace.

He stepped away almost as soon as he'd pulled her towards him, smiling at her with just a hint of satisfaction as she tried to comprehend what in the name of Merlin had just happened – and why she'd enjoyed it.

He happened to smell quite fantastic, actually. Like mint, with a hint of something she didn't recognise.

"I'll pick you up at eight." He whispered, before sauntering out of the room.

Hermione exhaled, leaning against her desk in bewilderment. "What the hell just happened?" she muttered, shaking her head. After a moment to collect her thoughts, she straightened up again, trying – and failing – to fight a smile. "Draco Malfoy, you conceited scoundrel." she grinned, "As much as you infuriate me - I'll be ready at eight."

**It's been a good few months since I last wrote anything so I'm a little rusty - I'm not sure if I'm entirely happy with this but I've edited it as much as ****I can! I hope it gave you a laugh, and if you enjoyed it then please do review and let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading!**

**Tris xx**


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